Apparatus for producing hydrogen.



A. Massanscamm.

APPARAIUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN. APPLICATION FILED SUNE IO, IBIS. RENEVIEQ' FEB 11.1911.

1522153639 .mm- MiayB, my.

INVENTOR M? Wm Allorngl m i. m i-W AE'PARATUS FOB PEODUCENG HYIEROG'EN.

.-3 p1icati on filed June it), 1913, Serial No. 772,784.

To all who-m it may concern:

lie it known that l, Anion lyinssnm sci-mirror, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Stolberg, in liheinland, Germany, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Apparatus for Producing Hydrogen, of which the following is a specification.

This invention" relates to apparatus for producing hydrogen; and it comprises an apparatus having a central combustion chamber inclosed by an annular casing, a Wall '02? heat insulating or refractory material surroundihg said casing and spaced away therefrom to form an annular reaction chem therebetween, a. ervious annular mass Within said chamber and supported by said casing and said Wall, and connections tor introducing steam, reducing gas and air into the combustion chamber and hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

in the present invention 1 have devised type of retort apparatus obviating the disadvai'itiges of heretofore known retorts and securing certain new advantages. In lieu of placing the charge of reaction material.

in externally heated cylindrical retort, in

which with increase nl size the surface area increases less rapidly than'the sectional area,

(which is the heretofore known practice) I use a cylindrical combustion chamber with the reactionlmaterial disposed around it in annular arrangement; as a narrow annular column held between the combustion chamher and the furnace Walls. In lieu of heat ing a cylindrical mass by combustion in a form heating secured, thereby producingmany economies. In a shaft or retort of large cross sectioiuthe formation of Chan. reels and of impervious portions 13 practically impossible to obviate so that apparatus 0 reaction mass; all as more fully- And I can use comparatively thin- Specification of Letters Ira-tent.

Patented May 8, Mill. Renewed February 17, 1917. Serial No. 149,375.

of great capacity cannot Well be built. .Th-ere is no hmit to the capacity of a single unit under the present invention.

To obviate oxidation and leakage losses, I can use the method of my copending application, liierial No. 1,45%, filed January 9, 1915, as a division of my copending applicatioiuserial No. 706,118, filed June 26, 1512, which comprises using the reducing gases of the reduction phase for heating purposes, sending such first through the hot oxidized charge and thence through the heating chambe for combustion therein. a This makes retort and combustion chamber substantially one conduitand obviates any material differences in pressure. In themethod of the stated application there is the further advantage that the iron retort may be kept dcoxidizcd. The invention can-however be used With the ordinary methods of heating and the draft connections usual with ordinary retort apparatus.

All the heating being internal, the heat utilization is good and radiation losses are reduced- The outer furnace Walls, Which may be heat insulated if desired, serve mainly to retain heat and to help support the charge of the reaction material. F or this purpose, the charge should be directly against the furnace wall/ lVith the charge vertical, as it usually is, this support is an important item since the outward thrust at the base of a column of such heavy material as lump iron ore is sometimes great.

in the accompanying; illustration I have shown. more or less diagrammaticallygim embodiment of the described invention. In this drawing, the illustration is in vertical section. V

Element 1 is a furnace chamber or wall of refractory material and is best cylindriit may be made of brick or cal in shape. any other suitable refractory structural material and is best so arranged as to be heat insulating to a large degree. It is best proyidcd with a lining 2 which is illustrated as iron or steel, and may be flanged over the top of the outer Wall as shown. This lining is not absolutely necessary but is desirable adding to the gas tightness of the apparatus. I Elf of iron, its surface plays some part in the reactions being alternately oxidizedandreduced. It may be made in sections desired-as this makes replacements and renewals easier and cheaper. At point Within the chamber and spaced away from the wall is an annular casing 3 which may be made ot' steel. or iron. As shown, this wall makes a gas tight joint with the lower wall or bottom 4 of the Furnace chamber and extends upwardly to a point somewhat short of the top 5, the clearance establishing cons munication between the chamber within it and the annular reactioirchamber between it and the wall. This casing is spaced away from the chamber wall to form said annular reaction chamber and the chamber is provided with a pervious column 6 of iron ore, iron oxid, a mixture of iron and manganese oXid, a mai'iganiterous iron ore, or other material capable utter reduction of taking up oxygen from-steam with liberation of hydrogen and of being reduced in turn by reducing gases (hereinafter referred to as ferruginous material The presence of manganese in the iron ore 'lacilitates the operation of the charge. lloward the bot-- tom, the outer wall is recessed as shown to form an annular gas channel 7 into which the charge may extend as an angle-ot'-repose pile. At the top, the apparatus provided with. openings 8 having removable covers which may serve in charging in reaction material. Centrally is another conduit 9 provided with removable cover 10, conduit 11 and air conduit 12. The annular casing forms within it a combustion chamber 13 provided with a checker-work or the like of tire brick or other suitable refractory material. At its base, this combustion chamber may be closed by a perforated bottom 14 serving to support the checker. The perforations open into conduit 15 having a connection 17 to a stack or the like, an air or gas inlet 18 and a steam inlet 19. Entering the annular channel (7) at one side is valved gas conduit 20 and air conduit 21. At an other point conduits 22 and 23 with seal pot 2% allow leading the hydrogen away. Removable cap 26 allows venting waste gases. Door permits removal of the reaction mass.

In the use of the described structure, presuming a steamin and hydrogen prodiu-iug phase to have been just completed, reducing gas, such as blue water gas, maybe led in through 20 and a modicum of air through 21. About 10 to 20 per cent. of air admixed with the gas is often a useful, prop0rti0n,using water gas, though less or more may be used under some circumstances. The rises through the column of reaction material. 6, reducing the oxid which has been formed by the steam and emerging at the top of the column still freely combustible. During its upward flow a limited amount of combustion takes place with the aid of the. admixed air under the influence of the catalytic action of the hot reaction mass, resulting in direct development oi heat in such mass. Above the column the gas is joined by air from 12 and combustion completed in the checker-work chamber 13, storing up heat in. this checker. The waste gases, or products of combustion pass oil through 17. T he introduction of air through 21 may be omitted when the heating from other sources is suflieient. And it may be used only in the first phase of reduction. At the end of the reduction the air, if not previously shut otl, is shut 01F and then the gas. Column 5 is now filled with reducing gas and checkerwork 3 with products ofeombustiou. At this time steam. is admitted at the base of the (i()i'l'll.)'llStlOIl chamber through 19, and cap l0 is removed. The steam rises through the combustion chamber displacing the products of combustion which escape at 10. W hen steam appears at 10, the checker is full. of superheated steam. Cap 10 is placed in position and the introduction of steam is crmtinued. The superheated steam now passes down through the column displae 1g the combustible gas ahead of it. This gas escapes through conduits 22 and 23 or it may escape past cap 26. The superheated stcam contacting with the reduced reaction material produces hydrogen and this hydrogen finally appears at 22 and23 when it is led off to a suitable point of, use or storage (not shown). When the production of hydrogen begins to diminish the supply of steam is shut otl' and the reduction and heating up stage once more begins.

In heating up the apparatus in starting, or whenever heating may be desired, direct heating of the cheekerwork may be resorted to. For this purpose, gas may be admitted through 21 and air through 18 and combustion allowed to take place in the checker, waste products of combustion being removed at 10. Or, this heating may be from above downward, gas being introduced by' 11 and 1 air, by 12 and products of combustion re moved at 1?. The channels in 14 play a useful part in homogenizing the gases passing theretlu'ough and completing combustion.

The introduction of a little air at 21, through at least part of the reducing stage, is useful as enabling the development of heat in the reaction material itself. While small proportions, such as 20 per cent. and under of air in reducing gas do not burn readily, in the presence of the hot checkerwork or of a catalytic such as the reaction material herein described, combustion with development of heat takes place. The iron members 2 and 3 being exposed to reducing gases from time to time do not become permanently oxidized and are of comparatively long life. In the construction shown since combustion chamber 13 and reaction column 6 practically form one conduit, there is no material diti'erence of pressure between the chambers on the two sides of annular wall 3.

The structure shown may be reversed vernace cl'iainhei' formed by an annular casing an outer heat insulating \rall spaced therefrom to form a chaniher to neceive an an uular perilous column o if Q reaction material, lirinc means using ct .iustion in said furnace ch for removing gases ti. 1 dug reducing gases aid rents or steam alternately into i said column and means or removing hydrogen "produced in 2. :1. hydrogen apparatus, an out-er insulating furnace wall, an an ula casing inclosing a coinhustwn chamber an spaced away from said heat insulating Wall form a reaction chamber adapted to receive a charge of reaction inst-erial, said reaction chamber at one end being in communication with the combustion chamber Within. said casing, means for introducing into the combustlon chamber Within the casing means for passing draft currents of reducing gases and of steam aiternately into and through the said. reaction material, and means for removing the hydrogen produced in steeminm 3. In a hydrogen apparatus a Wall of re fractory material, a septum. spaced away therefrom to form a reaction chamber therehetween, s pervious column of ferruginous material in said reaction chamber, means for producing combustion in proximity to the opposite side 'of said septum, means for alternately passing; di'aft'cur cuts of reducing gases and of steam into and through said column. and means for removing the hydrogen produced in steaming.

4. in a hydrogen apparatus, a Wall of heat insulating material, a septum in proximity thereto and spaced away therefrom to form a reaction chamber therchctween,- a combustion chamber on the other side of said septum and in communication With the reaction chainheratone end. a pcrvious mass of ferrugiuous reaction material in the reaction chamber, means for producing cons-- hustion in the combustion chamber means for alternately passing draft currents o? reducing gas and OI steam into and through said mass and means 'for removing the l1}"- drogen produced in the steaming.

5. In a hydrogen apparatus, a vertical inspace between the closing Wall, a, contained annular casing a mass of pervious ierruginous reaction material between said casing and said well, means for producing combustion with" said annular casin means for alternately ing' draft cu cuts of reducing gases and ct s"ea1n into and through said mass and means I for removing the hydrogen iiroduced in stcmning.

(.3. In a hydrogen apparatus, a verticalu'alled furnace chamber of retractory insterial, an annular casing within the chamber and spacec away therefrom to form a reaction chamber tlierehctuwen, said r action chamber and the space within the uiar coniniunii-a ion 1 one -turc. a peivious mass oi? *ruginous rec vlion material W u the $1011 chamhe means i'jor n'oduc com-- i for alternately pas draft cur 2 reducing and or steam tlu'o mass and means for removing the li produced in T. in a l. ogcn apparatus, v: furnace chanihcr of retractory vertical annulus spaces therefrom and ping somewhat short on? one end chamber andgforining a fire chamber, I

annulus and the chamber wall of refractory material adopted receive a pervious mass of ferruginous reaction material, a heat stinking checker Within the ire chamber, me -ior introducing aiiinto the chainhei means for passing steam the .1 her i for 31o nately passing draft c gases zlnd of steam means for removing in steamin hydrogenepparatus a vertice 1 said hydrogen produc' o. in casing, means for producing combustion Within such casing, an inciosing: Well of heat insulating material spaced. away from such casing to form a reaction chamber thercbetwee means introducing resctic-n material said chamber and. for removing reaction material therefrom, means for passing reducing into and through such reaction material, means for passing steam therethreugh and means for removing hydrogen. produced in. steam 9. In a h ogen generates; an snnuiai mass of ferruginous reaction material, a we surrounding and supporting the same, connections i611 intsoducing; comhustihie air and steam into and through'said annular ma s, and for removing Waste and hy ,d'cogen therefronii, annular Wr-il Within and supporting said mass, and means or producing; Within en. int-ernalcliamhes formed by said annular wall.

disposed therein and spaced away therefrom 'td l eave an annular reaction chamber for the reception of a perviou's column of ferruginous material and spaced from one end of said casing whereby said annular chamber may freely communicate with the. space surrounded by said annular Walh checker-Work Within said space, means, for admitting steam and air and permitting the escape of Waste gas at one end of said space, means for admitting combustible gas and air to and permitting the escape of hydro, gen from the same end of said annular reaction chamber, and means for admitting combustible gas and air at the opposite end of said casing.

11. A hydrogen generatorincluding a substantially gas-tight casing, an annular Wall disposed therein and spaced therefrom to leave an annular reaction chamber for the reception of a pervious column of ferruginous material and spaced from the upper end. of said casing whereby said annularchamberv may freely communicate with the space surrounded by said annular Wall, checker-Work Within said space, means for admitting steam and air and permitting the escape ;of Waste gas at the lower end of said space, means for admitting combustible gas and air to and permittin the escape of hydrogen from the lower end of said annular reaction chamber, and means for admitting combustible gas and air at the upper end of sa1d casing.

In testimony whereof, I ailix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTON MESSERSCHMITT; WVitnesses:

NIAR'II-[A lvlnssnnsomijrr'r, CARL ANDREAS. 

